Volume 3 | Issue 2 | Fall 2007

About the Authors

Alan Hecht is Director for Sustainable Development within the Office of Research and Development at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). On detail to the White House from 2001 to 2003, he was Associate Director for Sustainable Development at the Council on Environmental Quality between 2002 and 2003, Director of International Environmental Affairs for the National Security Council between 2001 and 2002, and White House coordinator for the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development. At EPA from 1989 to 2001, Dr. Hecht served as the Deputy Assistant Administrator for International Activities and Acting Assistant Administrator for International Activities from 1992 to 1994. Before joining EPA, he was Director of the National Climate Program at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration from 1981 until 1989 and Director of the Climate Dynamics Program at the National Science Foundation from 1976 until 1981. Dr. Hecht is Adjunct Professor of Government at the College of William and Mary, a faculty member of the Prince of Wales Business and Environment Program at Cambridge University, an External Advisor to the Erb Institute at the University of Michigan, and a member of the Center for Resilience at Ohio State University. In 1999, he received the President’s Rank Award for Meritorious Service (the highest award given to career civil servants in the United States).

William Sanders was appointed Director of the National Center for Environmental Research (NCER) in October 2007 within EPA’s Office of Research and Development (ORD). NCER’s mission is to support high-quality research by the nation’s leading scientists to improve the scientific basis for decisions on national environmental issues and to help EPA in achieving its goals. Prior to this assignment, Dr. Sanders served as Deputy Assistant Administrator in the Office of Prevention, Pesticides, and Toxic Substances. Between March 2004 and October 2007, he was the Acting Director of the Office of Children’s Health Protection and Environmental Education in the Office of the EPA Administrator. Prior to assuming this post, Dr. Sanders was the Director of the Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics, the Director of the Environmental Sciences Division at EPA Region 5, and as Deputy Director of the Water Division at EPA Region 5.